Chapter 82

“Alright then. Thank you for your consideration.”

Probably means they want me to stop using informal speech like last time. That’s not too hard.

“Good. The reason I called for the princess is simply because many are curious about the new master, and I wanted to introduce her to them. I hope this isn’t too much of a bother?”

“My injuries aren’t fully healed yet, so a long conversation might be difficult… but a short one should be fine.”

As long as we don’t talk about political marriages, I’ll let it slide.

—

After that, I exchanged greetings with several nobles in order.

Fortunately, perhaps because Prince Leopold had warned them beforehand, there was no mention of engagements or anything like that. No compliments about my appearance either—just conversations about my deeds and martial prowess.

Given that I’m a princess from another country before being a baroness of the Empire, the nobles who approached me were all very polite. Well, I suppose I’m a step above the average noble, though not quite at the level of a marquis.

I also responded with light formalities. After all, we’re all in the same boat here—no need to be rude and leave a bad impression.

“I heard you defeated a Suin champion single-handedly. Truly impressive. What kind of opponent were they?”

“It was a black panther named Natalia. Stronger than I expected… and I was already badly injured at the time. If I hadn’t realized my duty, I probably wouldn’t have won. The blessing of Elpinel that descended on the capital that day also helped greatly.”

Ah, right—Lacey’s wide-area divine magic. Without that, I’d have been helplessly defeated.

“Truly, it was the aid of Elpinel! They always watch over us humans.”

“Indeed.”

I’m not sure about *watching over*… but they’re probably keeping an eye on me. Their intentions, though, are unclear.

“I heard you wield a longsword. Does Ka’har also use longswords? From what I’ve read, I thought they used curved sabers. Quite surprising.”

“Probably just me. My mother taught me the basics of Imperial swordsmanship.”

“So you were an Imperial knight. To have raised such an outstanding lady, your mother must have been a knight among knights. I’m ashamed my knowledge is lacking, as I haven’t heard of the Medean family.”

“I’ve heard she lived in obscurity. No need to feel ashamed.”

That was the gist of it. I responded appropriately and excused myself on the pretext of fatigue.

Leopold nodded slightly, looking satisfied. He definitely kept his promise to shield me from half the nobles being too nosy.

But what about the other half?

I glanced toward Ernst’s faction and sensed a faint hostility.

Hmm. Seems they’re convinced I’m on Leopold’s side. I wonder if they’ll send assassins after me.

Well, the meeting is about to wrap up anyway. I’ll just exchange a few words with Ernst and leave.

That should be enough for Leopold’s side to see it as basic courtesy, and Ernst’s side might take it as a sign of neutrality. People do love to hope for the best, after all.

—

I approached Ernst and gave a light greeting. Placing a hand on my chest and bowing slightly—the knight’s way.

“Your Highness Ernst. It’s been a while.”

“…Unexpected. I didn’t think the princess would approach me first.”

Ernst tilted his head slightly, looking somewhat surprised. The nobles in his faction also seemed visibly flustered.

“Since I’ve already exchanged greetings with His Highness Leopold, it’s only proper to extend the same courtesy to you, even if it’s a bit late.”

“True… that’s not wrong. Though it’s not very Ka’har-like to be so concerned with etiquette.”

“Well, I am now a member of the Empire. I can’t act as I would on the plains.”

Ernst smiled faintly, though his eyes didn’t move—just the corner of his lips twitched.

His nobles still looked confused. Well, they’re probably unsure whether I’m an enemy or neutral.

If I’m an enemy, fine… but it’d be foolish to alienate someone neutral and push them into becoming an enemy.

“Alright. Let’s leave it at that… Anyway, since you’re here, I should introduce you. As you all know… this is the Princess of Ka’har, Baroness Medean, Lady Aishangior.”

“Ha-shal-leur Medean Aishangior. Pleased to meet you.”

I gave a light greeting to Ernst’s nobles as well. Not the lady’s curtsy, but the military salute from the academy.

“As the princess mentioned earlier, it’s about time to adjourn the meeting. If you want to talk more, wait for the ball. I’m sure the princess would prefer that as well.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Then I’ll take my leave. Let’s meet again. Until then, stay safe.”

After a brief farewell, I returned to where Freide was. The three of them had already warmed up to each other, chatting away without any awkwardness.

Mostly Freide boasting about her exploits, Damien humoring her, and Milia being impressed. Not a bad dynamic. I guess fighting and defeating a Suin earned Freide’s favor.

She’s so starved for conversation, yet she’s been without friends all this time. Making friends shouldn’t be that hard.

It’s a mystery.

“Looks like you’re having fun, Freide. Seems like you all get along surprisingly well.”

“Really? More like you just dumped two people on me out of nowhere. Aren’t you getting a bit too comfortable with me?”

Freide frowned slightly and crossed her arms. Always so prickly, even when it’s not sincere.

Her true colors have been exposed for a long time now.

What a pitiful soul with no friends…!

“Sorry. It was urgent. You’re the only one I can trust here.”

“Uh, well, of course, but…!”

Her arms slowly loosened their grip.

…Too easy. Is this really okay? Where did all that initial sharpness go?

Was it all just loneliness-induced hysteria?

“Well, at least it seems like you’re on good terms. Damien and Milia too.”

“Senior Freide has been kind enough to look out for us a lot.”

“As Milia said, thank you, Senior Freide.”

“No, well… Sure, since I did go out of my way, you can thank me.”

Freide’s face turned slightly red.

…Well, get along well, you three.

I plan to have you stick together often anyway.

So, does that make Freide’s friends four, including me?

I’m not sure if Calix considers you a friend, but… seeing how often you show up together, I guess you can count him.

Congrats, Freide. Your friends just quadrupled.

—

Not long after, the short meeting finally came to an end.

The prince and nobles boarded their carriages and left one by one.

Marquis Ludwig also gave me a light farewell before leaving.

Duke Bien and the two high priests looked at me with strange eyes.

They probably already know I’m set to become the successor of Landenburg. They’re fellow electors, after all.

Outside the cathedral, the sky had already turned into a sunset hue.

The sun hanging at the edge of the city walls signaled the end of the day.

I boarded the large carriage provided by the academy with my companions.

Unlike the one gifted by the marquis, it was quite bumpy, but the interior was spacious.

Sitting in the corner, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes.

I half-listened to Freide, Asha, Damien, and Milia chatting among themselves.

By the time we returned to the dormitory, the sun had completely set.

After exchanging goodbyes with Damien and Milia, I headed back to my special quarters.

Come to think of it, Edgar also greeted me. Something about misunderstanding me before.

After a quick wash, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.

The soft touch of the well-dried blanket warmly enveloped my tired body.

Still, I couldn’t fall asleep for a while.

The funeral mass, Lacey’s speech, being incorporated into the imperial nobility, and light-hearted exchanges with other nobles.

It had been an eventful day, to say the least.

—

I asked Freide if she could train Damien and Milia.

“Train? Those two?”

“Yeah. They’re overflowing with talent but lack real combat experience… I was hoping you could help with that.”

If they only fight me, they might just get used to my style instead of improving.

The academy’s permission and my friends’ agreement were already secured.

The academy also deemed it inefficient to force first-year students to follow the entire curriculum if they were already at knight-level or above.

So, they were granted the same privileges as special students, allowing them to attend classes at their discretion.

That meant they could train with Freide in their spare time.

Convincing Damien and Milia was even easier.

“With your names gaining attention, you’ll attract a lot of interest. To navigate that without being swayed, you’ll need to improve your skills.”

That level of persuasion was enough.

“If you train them well, they might even come visit you in the north someday.”

“Hmm, maybe? I do have some free time these days. Once a week should be fine.”

Freide readily agreed.

—

Come to think of it, Asha has started a new business.

She’s buying the hides of beastmen from recent events, processing them, and selling them.

…Apparently, there’s quite a demand.

The hides of low-grade hybrids aren’t valuable, but those of hybrid warriors are quite durable, and pureblood warriors’ hides are tough enough to be made into armor.

Freide seemed intrigued by Asha’s business plan.

She agreed to hand over the hides of beastmen captured in the north in exchange for a share of the profits.

Some of the new nobles I met at the meeting also brought her high-quality beastmen hides for processing.

I heard the processing technique itself is hard for humans to replicate.

As a result, Asha effectively monopolized the supply.

She was screaming in joy in her room, saying money was pouring in endlessly.

Testimonials from those who tried her products proved the durability and practicality of beastmen hides, making them a new trend.

Customers seeking beastmen hide products began to increase, especially among adventurers, knights, and soldiers—those in physically demanding professions.

A demi-human was stirring up a new wave in the Empire.

…Whether it’s a positive wave or not, I can’t say.

Oh well. Let it be what it will be.